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SRQ Magazine | October 2021 | Women Who Roar Special Feature
WOMAN WHO ROAR | FALL 2021
SARA HAND
FOUNDER/CEO, SPARK GROWTH
I GREW UP SURROUNDED BY THE MOST INCREDIBLE, INTELLIGENT, GRACIOUS, AND COMPETENT WOMEN.
Yet, while I was told that I could do anything, it was clearly evident that I could not. I love the question, "What would I say to my younger self?” You are smarter than you think. You are stronger than you know. You are more capable than you can imagine. Live with grace and compassion; always forgive, appreciate your contributions, and treasure your time. Practice authenticity, yet be careful with your heart: not everyone recognizes how valuable you are. Know that you are more than enough to fulfill your calling, yet you are entirely incapable of doing this alone.
Every day choose life. Choose to be thankful. Choose to live boldly in the present, respecting the past and anticipating the future. Speak words of life to those around you, and look for the gifts that reside in each person. Don't expect everything to be easy because life rarely is. While people are troubled, at the same time, they are still wonderful. Life is beautiful in all its messy details.
So I imagine and work daily towards a world where young people have access to resources that cultivate mindsets of lifetime learning, that encourage potential, and that connect and support regardless of gender, ethnicity, or any other labels. Therefore one day, one girl at a time, we may move towards a future where all girls take pride in being strong, bright, bold, and maybe even funny.
If I don't know who I am, someone will tell me who I should be. Therefore, I live by a few simple truths:
• My life changes when I do
• If I don't apply structure to my time someone or something else will
• The only things I have control over are my own choices
912 7th Ave E. Bradenton, FL | 941-877-1599 | sparkgrowth.net
